Identifying Spatial Trends in Terrorism and Radicalization in Malaysia Received January 16, 2020; Accepted July 16, 2020
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Stat Polit Pol 2020; 11(2): 139–165 Samuel Henkin, Marcus A. Boyd* and Adam Martin Southeast Asia after the Caliphate: Identifying Spatial Trends in Terrorism and Radicalization in Malaysia https://doi.org/10.1515/spp-2020-0001 Received January 16, 2020; accepted July 16, 2020 Abstract: Recent scholarship on militant Islamist radicalization in Southeast Asia highlights the significance of local context in understanding support and recruitment into militancy. While research on terrorism in Southeast Asia en- genders a dynamism of epistemic inquiry in diverse areas of research, an empirical mapping of radicalization is generally absent. Research on militant Islamic radicalization in Southeast Asia needs more robust consideration of geospatial relations and data to fill this lacuna. A geospatial analysis is, above all else, synthesis. It bridges spatial statistical analytics and qualitative socio- spatial investigation. We argue that a geospatial analytical approach to un- derstanding radicalization offers a way in which to begin empirically mapping radicalization in the region. Correspondingly, our work considers militant Is- lamic radicalization in Malaysia by employing geospatial analysis to build a more nuanced layering and comprehensive understanding of the spatial ar- rangements of radicalization. Viewed from this perspective, radicalization can be understood through spatial logics and practices aimed at facilitating better understandings of socio-political relations of political violence and terrorism more broadly. Keywords: geospatial analysis, Malaysia, radicalization, Southeast Asia, terrorism *Corresponding author: Marcus A. Boyd, The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA, E-mail: [email protected]. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6872-2216 Samuel Henkin and Adam Martin, The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA Open Access. © 2020 Samuel Henkin et al., published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 140 S. Henkin et al. 1 Introduction The loss of the territorial caliphate in Syria and Iraq will force the Islamic State – or some reconstituted offshoot – to seek new territory. While a formal wilayat,a province of its caliphate, does not currently exist in Southeast Asia, the adapt- ability of Islamic State recruitment to radicalization shows success in Southeast Asia. The establishment of Katibah Nusantara Lid Daulah Islamiyyah, a dedicated Southeast Asian military unit within the Islamic State, is illustrative of ISIS recruitment success. Moreover, ISIS mobilization and ironically creative use of social media in recruitment efforts across Southeast Asia continues to metastasize, drawing significant analytical inquiry in attempts to understand whether ISIS will survive/revive itself by exploiting radicalized networks elsewhere, particularly in Southeast Asia.1 Militant Islamic radicalization is not new in Southeast Asia. The region has some of the world’s oldest and most active militant Islamist organizations dating back to post-colonial insurgencies challenging evolving state structures. Since then, radicalization and terrorism landscapes have evolved dynamically in Southeast Asia as the region constitutes an “enabling environment” in which militant Islamist groups like, Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI), Kumpulan Mujaheddin Malaysia (KMM), and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), flourish.2 Even so, radicalization in Southeast Asia is often understudied in comparison to Europe and Middle Eastern countries in terrorism studies despite having a quarter of the world’s Muslim residents, an estimated 240 million.3 The purpose of this article is to forward a geospatial perspective and approach to better understand socio-political relations and spatial arrangements of radi- calization and terrorism in Southeast Asia. While a full geographic perspective on terrorism requires significant contributions from other fields of study, in this paper we advance a geospatial analytical approach to radicalization in Southeast Asia to encourage better integration of geographic perspectives in the study of terrorism. This is not to insinuate a geographically deterministic view of a radical regional Islamist movement, which is deeply flawed;4 rather a geospatial approach 1 Nathaniel L. Moir, “ISIL Radicalization, recruitment, and Social Media Operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines,” PRISM, 7, no. 1 (2017), 91–107. 2 Paul J. Smith, eds., Terrorism and Violence in Southeast Asia: Transnational Challenges to States and Regional Stability (London: Routledge, 2005), xii. 3 Julie Chernov Hwang, “Pathways into Terrorism: Understanding entry into and Support for Terrorism in Asia,” Terrorism and Political Violence, 30, no. 6 (2018), 883–889. 4 John Sidel, The Islamist Threat in Southeast Asia: A Reassessment, (Washington, DC: East-West Center, 2007): 3. Identifying Spatial Trends in Terrorism and Radicalization 141 connects spatial manifestations of the interplay of Islam, radicalization, violence, and terrorism/counter-terrorism across Southeast Asia.5 From our perspective, geospatial approaches to radicalization transgress distinct geographic regions and places allowing for an analysis of emerging trends and patterns of spatial pro- cesses and practices. This can be better accomplished by blending spatial statistics and qualitative interpretation of spatial data, enabling the terrorism studies community to expand broader literature and draw connections between the unique experiences and recent trends of militant Islamists in Southeast Asia to other vulnerable spaces across the world. To illustrate our conceptualization of a geospatial approach to radicalization, we provide specific analyses of spatial arrangements of radicalization and political violence in Southeast Asia to illustrate the overall value of geospatial approaches. We proceed as follows. First, we provide a brief overview of research on radicali- zation and terrorism in Southeast Asia. Subsequently, we consider the geographic and historical contexts of militant Islamist radicalization and terrorism in Malaysia. Malaysia’s geography and history with militant Islamist radicalization converge as significant vectors of analysis. Next, we outline our approach and methodology. This is followed by a specific local-scaled geospatial analysis of militant Islamist activity along the Malaysia–Thailand border which begins the process of empirically mapping radicalization in Malaysia. It is our aim to point out that examining radicalization through a geospatial lens demonstrates how the possibilities for radicalization effect, and reflect, the spatialities of historical and socio-political conditions of Malaysia. We conclude with a synopsis of our findings emphasizing the strengths of our geospatial approach to analyzing militant Islamist radicalization in Malaysia. Moreover, we call on scholars in terrorism studies and related fields to fully engage the spatial arrangements of radicalization. 1.1 Radicalization and Terrorism Research in Southeast Asia Since 9/11 three broad but interrelated questions have driven research on radi- calization and counter-terrorism research: (1) How and (2) why do individuals join militant Islamist groups and (3) what motivates individuals to support militant Islamist groups? Accordingly, there is a robust literature that interrogates support of, and pathways to, militancy to identify potential radicalization factors.6 5 Medina, Richard M., and George F. Hepner. “Advancing the understanding of sociospatial dependencies in terrorist networks.” Transactions in GIS 15, no. 5 (2011): 577–597. 6 Ibid., 883; John Horgan, “From Profiles to Pathways and Roots to Routes: Perspectives from Psychology on Radicalization into Terrorism.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political 142 S. Henkin et al. Inevitably, there is variance in determining which factors, roles, phenomena, and experiences engender radicalization. Nevertheless, there is general agreement that radicalization and joining terrorist organizations is a continual process of “becoming”.7 We too consider radicalization—as becoming as it is—through het- erogeneous inquiry of processes and relations. Specifically, we emphasize spatial processes and relations. The question of “where?” continues to permeate research on radicalization and terrorism but tends to sustain a dichotomy between static spatial explanations (e.g. specific place names and attack locations) and intan- gible geographies of transnationalisms where “no such geographic clarity” exists.8 This dichotomy ignores the complexity of historical and socio-political conver- gence that coexists with layered spatial relations in radicalization processes. While the dynamics of militant Islamist radicalization and terrorism are multifarious across Southeast Asia and historically contingent, certain recent trends post-2000 are determinable, particularly from a geographic perspective. In the early 2000s, radicalized militant Islamist groups in Southeast Asia demon- strated a significant capacity to recruit and carry out successful terrorist attacks across the region. For example, the 12 October 2002 Bali Bombing in Indonesia marked the significant rise of the Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI) network and their ca- pacity to manage several militia units, despite geographical barriers and diverse ethno-nationalities among its members, across